Fifteen miners have been confirmed dead following Saturday's gas explosion in a coal mine in Linfen, Shanxi Province, north China, rescuers said on Sunday.

Rescuers are still searching for the other 15 trapped miners despite thick smoke in the shaft.

"Thick smoke inside the shaft make it very difficult for us to go down to look for those still trapped," said one rescuer.

A gas blast occurred around 1:50 PM on Saturday at Pudeng Coal Mine in Kecheng Township of Puxian County while 125 miners were working in the shaft.

Ninety-five miners escaped, of whom, 23 were injured, including one seriously injured. But 30 others were trapped underground, according to a press release given by Shanxi Provincial Bureau of Work Safety on Sunday.

Bureau sources said the coal mine had been ordered to suspend production, but did not give specific reasons.

"Other problems with the coal mine are that its mining operation was in a mess and poor management," said the provincial work safety watchdog, adding the 125 miners who were working underground when the gas blast happened belonged to different mining groups.

Local police have put under surveillance the coal mine owner, the official in charge of production and several of the managerial staff.

The cause of the gas explosion is being investigated.

Pudeng Coal Mine boasts an annual production capacity of 150,000 tons.

Zhao Tiechui, director of the State Administration for Coal Mine Safety Supervision, together with local officials is on the way to the accident site.

(Xinhua News Agency May 6, 2007)